The Rickards High football team will have to replace 22 players this fall after losing the majority of its starters to graduation.

It showed Thursday night during the Raiders’ spring jamboree as they dropped the exhibition to visiting Ed White of Jacksonville, 42-7.

Despite the lopsided final score, Rickards’ coaches said the jamboree was the perfect chance to evaluate team needs and decide what to focus on this summer.

“It’s definitely a work in progress,” Rickards head coach Quintin Lewis said. “These guys are ridiculously young, and they played like that tonight.”

Without question, fundamentals will be a top priority this offseason.

“That’s why we work our butts off every day,” Lewis said, “to make sure we get the basics down. And then we can begin to develop into something more. That’s why spring practice is so important. The guys need to take the lessons they have learned and build on that.”

There were some bright spots for Rickards.

Although the Raiders are replacing four starters on the offensive line, senior running back Deion Hogan rushed for 109 yards on 17 carries. And wide receiver Kalin Riles gathered four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

But maybe the biggest challenge will be replacing superstar Charlie Kelly at quarterback. Right now, it looks like freshman DJ Phillips will be the answer. The youngster only completed six passes for the Raiders on Thursday, but he threw for a touchdown.

“We have a lot of talent on this team, and you can see some of that in a guy like DJ,” Lewis said, “but it can’t be completely on his shoulders. He needs the guys around him to make plays for him, especially the handful of older guys we have.”

Even after giving up 42 points on Thursday, the Rickards defense had its bright spots too. Senior linebacker Malcom Penny led his team with 10 tackles, while Josh Butler managed a pair of sacks.

“I look forward to seeing our growth throughout the year,” Lewis said, “because these guys are ready to work and get better. It just takes dedication.”